


The Fairytale

by thecoquimonster



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-23
Packaged: 2018-05-22 20:37:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6093331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecoquimonster/pseuds/thecoquimonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A City of Ashes AU where the kiss Clary most desires is Isabelle's.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fairytale

**Author's Note:**

> I hated this scene in the books so I fixed it (hopefully made it less uncomfortable?? idk the whole thing creeps me out) and made it gay. Obviously. It's what I do.

The Seelie Queen would have looked regretful if not for the mean glitter in her eyes. She ran her hand through the red waves of her hair. Clary felt an anger start burning from her stomach at the sight. That red hair almost looked like her own. She clenched her fists. She wanted to be respectful but she’d just been tricked, and now she was stuck here with the Queen of the Seelie Court.

“We’re not leaving without Clary,” Simon said, coming up to stand beside Clary. There was less than an inch of space between them and the closeness reassured her.

Jace muttered under his breath about Simon finally being right about _something_. Clary didn’t turn to look at him. Looking at Jace made her want to throw up.

Isabelle smiled prettily at the Seelie Queen and curtsied. “There must be some way to free Clary?”

The Seelie Queen considered Isabelle. Out of their group, Izzy was the person who was the least angry, or so it seemed that way. Her smile was respectful but the dark irises of her eyes were serious. Clary’s fingers itched for her sketchpad. This image of Isabelle facing the Seelie Queen was something that Clary might have drawn for the graphic novel that she and Simon had planned, what felt like ages ago. Maybe she’d draw it later, Clary told herself, when she couldn’t hear the blood rushing in her ears.

“You know, I do love mundane fairytales,” said the Seelie Queen with a clever smirk. Her gaze passed over the four of them. She took a deep breath and sat back. “My favorite part is when the prince kisses the princess to break the spell.”

“I just need to kiss her?” Simon brightened. “As if I needed an excuse!”

Clary started and turned to face Simon. It was still disorienting the casual way he’d call her his girlfriend, or take her hand in his, or any of those things. Simon brushed her hair out of her face and leaned in to kiss her. Clary made it a short kiss. She just wanted to get this out of the way. Besides, it wasn’t like Simon wouldn’t have the chance to kiss her again.

Simon and Clary looked up at the Seelie Queen as though to ask if it had worked.

“I’m afraid it’s only the kiss that she most desires,” the Seelie Queen said. “Not just any kiss.”

Clary did not look at Simon. She didn’t want to see his disappointment. She knew exactly the person she had to kiss now. Her throat closed up.

“Me, then,” said Jace, though he seemed vaguely uncomfortable as well. It was unlike him. He shuffled forward, tense.

Clary finally turned her gaze to Jace and looked at him for a moment. The lump in her throat made it hard for her to say anything, but she shook her head. Jace was not the person she wanted to kiss.

“It’s just a kiss,” said Isabelle, and that was quite possibly the worst thing she could have said. It would have been different coming from anyone else, but it came from Isabelle.

“You’d kiss your brother?” Simon snapped.

“I’m not kissing Jace,” Clary hissed through her teeth. “I don’t want to kiss Jace. Kissing Jace is the last possible thing I’d ever want to do.”

“Ouch,” Jace said.

Clary ignored him and turned to the Seelie Queen. “So you can take those mundane fairytales you love so much and sho–”

“Clary,” Isabelle warned.

She knew Izzy wanted her to be respectful, but it was hard when the Seelie Queen was about to out her and there was nothing she could do about it unless she wanted to stay here in the Seelie Court forever. Was this the panic Alec felt all the time?

This was ridiculous. Logically, she knew it was. Isabelle was so protective and accepting of Alec. But Clary’s mind was flashing through those brief memories of Isabelle dressing her up for Magnus’ party and other things they’d done together. Isabelle would be looking at her through that lens now. Clary didn’t want to hear the “Do you have a crush on me?” joke from Isabelle. Even if the answer to that was yes.

“I’m not playing your game,” Clary told the Queen. “I’m not going to be the princess.”

“Then I wish you luck in being the prince,” said the Seelie Queen.

“I’m not the prince either,” Clary said. “I’m the Shadowhunter. I told you I’m not playing your game.”

She was a Shadowhunter, and she was going to do what had to be done to finish this mission. She looked at Isabelle and her stomach dropped. Whatever anger she’d harbored at the Seelie Queen evaporated. She didn’t have the fury to be reckless anymore. The panic was seeping into her again.

Clary met Isabelle’s dark gaze and swallowed the lump in her throat. “It’s you.”

Izzy took a half-step back and Clary refused to read anything into that movement. “Me?”

“The kiss,” Clary said. “The one I desire most. It’s from you.”

It was out now. Clary felt incredibly aware of the blood pulsing through her veins, and her legs seemed to want to give out on her.

Isabelle’s cheeks colored. She hesitated to do anything. Clary wondered if the panic in Izzy’s eyes was her own being reflected back to her.

“Come on, Izzy,” said Jace. “It’s like you said, it’s just a kiss.”

Isabelle was still tense but she turned to Jace and nodded. Her voice was sharp. “Right.”

Clary was much shorter than Isabelle, especially now when Izzy was wearing seven-inch heels. She went up on her tiptoes and Isabelle leaned down to meet her. Isabelle’s lips were smooth and Clary could taste her dark red lipstick. Isabelle cut the kiss short. Clary tried not to feel rejected.

Isabelle looked to the Seelie Queen. “Was that it? Is Clary free to go?”

The Seelie Queen nodded and Isabelle took Clary’s hand and tugged her ahead of Jace and Simon. Clary struggled to keep up. Isabelle was tall and wore heels; her footsteps were twice the size of Clary’s and she almost had to jog so that she didn’t end up behind Isabelle. Clary was grateful because this way she didn’t have to deal with Jace and Simon.

“You have a crush on me?” Isabelle asked, but it wasn’t the teasing Clary had previously imagined. It was just surprised.

“I—” Clary said. “I—yes. I’m sorry.”

Izzy looked at her like she was crazy. “Why are you apologizing? You don’t have anything to apologize for, Clary.”

“I’m sorry that you had to kiss me,” Clary said.

Isabelle blinked and hesitated again. “You don’t have to be sorry for that, either. I was kind of...” She took a breath. “I was hoping that it was me. But I thought it was ridiculous.”

“Wait,” Clary said, not sure if she understood everything. “You like me?”

Isabelle let out a short, nervous laugh. “Yes. I was… I was afraid of telling you, I guess. It’s different than when you asked me about Alec. How could I have told you? ‘Oh yeah, and I’m not straight either, so I guess my parents really have something coming.’”

“I’m sorry, Isabelle,” Clary said.

Clary wanted to say more, but that was when Jace caught up to them. “Thanks for leaving me behind, you two.”

“Where’s Simon?” Clary asked him, noticing that her best friend wasn’t with him.

Jace shrugged. “The mundie left. Didn’t say anything about where he was going. I don’t really care.”

Sometimes Clary really hated Jace.

“He just left without telling me?” she demanded.

“Yeah,” said Jace, and continued walking without her.

Isabelle exchanged a look with her and shrugged. “He’ll probably call you later, Clary. Don’t worry too much.”

She squeezed Clary’s shoulder, though the beginning of the gesture seemed uncertain. Clary resolved to have a much longer conversation with Izzy in which they would define their relationship in certain terms later. Right now Clary needed to call Simon and then kick his ass.


End file.
